


Leviathan Rising (But like, not THAT Leviathan Rising)

by swwf17



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Gen, Kidnapping, Leviathan - Freeform, Post Season 4, What-If, inspired by Action Comics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 03:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19040488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swwf17/pseuds/swwf17
Summary: Someone’s after Supergirl! …Oh, no, wait. They’re after…Kara Danvers? And Kara decides to play along.





	Leviathan Rising (But like, not THAT Leviathan Rising)

Kara was several blocks away from her apartment when she noticed that something was…off.

She paused, and made a show of fumbling for her phone, all the while listening intently to the group of…five? six? armed people currently gathered in her apartment.

“ _Maintain positions. Intel says she should be back within the hour.”_

She frowned and took a deep breath, trying not to betray the sudden panic rising in her chest. Thoughts of Lex Luthor—specifically, his knowledge of her secret identity—flashed through her mind. She continued to stare at her lock screen while she focused her hearing on Alex’s apartment, J'onn’s office, L-Corp…

Nothing nefarious. Alex and Kelly were helping J'onn reorganize his bookshelves, and Lena was working late (again) but otherwise…no heavy boot falls. No hushed whispering of orders to  _‘maintain positions.’_

She breathed a small sigh of relief, and listened back in on her own apartment, to see if she could learn anything more.

They weren’t making much noise, and no one else in the building seemed to know they were there. So…professionals, probably. She glanced up from her phone and squinted in the direction of her building—to anyone else on the street, it would look like she was merely staring off into empty space.

X-ray and telescopic vision revealed light body armor—

She blinked. … _Light_  body armor?

She squinted again. They had weapons, but…they all looked fairly…standard. No power-dampening rods. No kryptonite…nothing that could subdue a Kryptonian.

And then it dawned on her.

She hastily returned her focus to her phone, and actually  _dialed_  this time, bringing the device up to her ear.

Alex answered on the second ring.

“ _Yeah?_ ” Her sister’s greeting was short, and it sounded as though Kara had caught her mid-laugh. She could hear J'onn and Kelly chuckling in the background as well.

“Hey. Uh…got a sec?” Kara asked, but she didn’t wait to hear Alex’s answer as she resumed walking down the street. “I think…I’m about to be kidnapped.”

Alex’s laughter tapered off right quick.

“… _What?”_

“Or, abducted, I guess?” She came to a stop at the intersection, and waited patiently for the 'Walk’ signal.  “There’s like…six guys in my apartment right now. And I don’t think they’re there to steal my Ikea furniture.”

“ _Well…well do you need backup? Should I have J'onn—”_ Alex started to ask.

“No! No—I don’t think…” Kara dropped her voice. “I don’t think they know I’m Supergirl.”

There was a beat of silence.

“ _Oh.”_ Alex said, sounding a little…underwhelmed? “ _That’s…different.”_

“Right?”

“ _So…they’re after…Kara Danvers?”_

“I think so—they don’t really seem…equipped, to handle a Kryptonian.” Kara couldn’t keep the amusement from her voice as she said it—it was something of an understatement, really.

“ _So you’re saying it’s going to be a short fight.”_

Kara hummed as she approached the entrance of her building.

“I dunno…I’m thinking I might go along with it?” She could hear her sister start to protest. “Think about it, Alex! If I just…knock them out, then we never learn why they were after me in the first place!” She had a few ideas; her “Aliens of National City” series had garnered quite a bit of praise, and even a few awards, but it had also earned her more than a few enemies. There were still plenty of Children of Liberty sympathizers out there, not at all deterred by the fact that the entire movement had been orchestrated by a genocidal psychopath.

“ _That’s why we_ _ **interrogate**  them, Kara.”_

“I don’t think NCPD is going to let us do that, Alex,” Kara reminded her. Alex huffed on the other end of the line.

“ _So I get the DEO to intervene._ ”

“And make Haley suspicious all over again? Alex,  _no.”_  Kara said it perhaps a bit more firmly than was strictly necessary, but Alex’s sigh was understanding, as opposed to annoyed;  _neither_ of them wanted wanted to tempt fate, and risk a repeat of the memory wipe. Haley was much more agreeable now, certainly, and they would  _both_  just as soon keep it that way. “This is actually… _much_  safer, if you think about it.”

“ _I am thinking about it, and it’s a bad idea, Kara.”_

“How is it a bad idea?” Kara demanded, “it’s not like they can hurt me! And—look. I’ll even put in my comm. They won’t be looking for it—that way, we can keep in touch, and! Worst case scenario, you can track me. But there won’t even  _be_  a worst case scenario,” she argued, already reaching into her coat pocket for the small, DEO-issued earpiece. “Okay, see? Comm is on. And in my ear.”

Alex grunted.

“ _I don’t like this.”_

“It will be  _fine._ ”

“… _Whatever. You_ _ **hail me on the comm**_ _the minute things go south, alright?”_

“Things won’t go south.”

“ _Kara.”_

“Okay! Okay,” Kara agreed. “I gotta go. I don’t see any bugs, but I’d rather play it safe. See! I’m being careful.”

“ _Honestly? I’m not worried about you not being careful. It’s your terrible_ _ **acting**_ _that has me concerned—”_

Kara scoffed.

“My acting is  _great._  Just ask Franklin.”

“ _Ten bucks says they see through it in under a minute.”_

“I’m hanging up now.”

“ _What's—oh, J'onn says thirty seconds, and Kelly—”_

“You guys are hilarious. Bye!” Kara hit the 'end call’ button before any further snide comments could be made about her acting ability. She silently debated whether she should put her phone in her pocket, or her purse. She didn’t really want these guys going through her coat, but then, they’d probably check it  _regardless._

She climbed the stairs to her apartment, all the while going over the specifics of her entrance. How fast was  _too_  fast, in terms of turning the key in the lock? Should she put her purse on the side table before, or  _after_  turning on the light? Should she turn the light on at all? Oh, maybe they’d cut the power…that’s how it usually went. …In movies, anyway.

Once she reached her floor, she cast a quick glance at her apartment. Her earlier estimate of six was correct—two huddled in the kitchen, two in the living room, and two in the bedroom. All more or less hiding…well, she was sure they’d all consider it really effective hiding. And it probably was, if they’d been dealing with someone who  _didn’t_  have x-ray vision.

She dug through her purse for her keys, and dropped them for good measure. They clattered loudly against the concrete flooring in the hall—she complained  _equally_  loudly about dropping them.

“Gosh  _darn_  it!” she said.

“ _Get ready,_ ” she heard the nearest abductor command. She smiled to herself, before replacing it with an annoyed frown as she jiggled the keys in the lock.

“Gosh darn  _keys_ , gosh darn  _door,”_  she muttered, making sure it was under her breath and directed at  _herself._  She couldn’t let on that she knew anyone was actually  _in_  the apartment.

The door swung open; a rectangle of orange light spilled into the darkened dining area. She set her purse aside, and went to turn on the lights.

The switch clicked on, but the apartment remained dark.

_Knew it,_ she thought, somewhat smugly.

She flicked the switch a few times, and sighed in exasperation.

“I  _just_  replaced these bulbs,” she could hear them behind her. She shook her head, and started to turn. “That’s what I get for buying off brand—oh,  _God!_ ” She yelled, loud, but not  _too_  loud—she didn’t want to endanger any of her neighbors by drawing them with necessary, over-dramatic screams.

Her abductors seemed to have the same idea. The one closest to her surged forward, and clamped a gloved hand on her mouth. A taser dug into her side. It was…uncomfortable, but very  _clearly_ calibrated for a human.

“It’s not working!”

“ _What??”_

Kara mentally cringed. She’d been so caught up in putting on a convincing performance, she’d forgotten to let the taser ‘knock her out.’

“Well, increase the voltage then!”

“No, no! Not that high, you idiot, we want her ali—”

The second round was definitely stronger. She yelped, and made a show of slumping to her knees, before pitching forward on the floor. A slight buzzing sounded in her right ear.

_…Odd…_  she thought.  _She_  was fine, so why—

“Check her pockets.  _And_  her pulse,” one of them ordered. She bit back an annoyed huff as one of them pawed at her coat ( _and_  her neck, in that order)—just as unpleasant as she’d imagined.

The buzzing was really starting to concern her. What  _was_  that?

“Alright, get the zip ties and hood, and let’s move out.” Her hands were roughly wrenched behind her, and a coarse, dark hood was thrown over her face. Her glasses were knocked askew, but remained on her nose, if somewhat precariously. That was good.

What was  _less_  good, was the realization as to what that buzzing sound was.

_The comm._

The taser had been dialed up, and had fried the electronics.

As the mysterious abductors dragged her from her apartment ( _“Aw, geez, she’s…she’s really heavy? What is she, all muscle or something?”_ ) all she could think about…was how  _pissed_  Alex was going to be.

* * *

Pretending to be dead weight was much harder than Kara anticipated.

“Would you quit—you’re gonna  _drop_ her—!”

“I  _told_  you, she’s really—”

“Just let  _me_  do it—oh. Uh. She is… _wow_ , she is like. Solid.”

“That’s what I said!”

“Where does a nationally-recognized journalist find the time to get jacked—”

“ _Enough._  Set her down on the chair already!”

Kara had to fight against the reflexive urge to tense as they maneuvered her into an upright position on a flimsy, but most definitely uncomfortable folding chair. As she slumped forward, straining against the zip ties, she listened for any other clues as to her location.

_…Lots of…rushing water? In pipes, it sounds like._  That wasn’t a  _problem_ , necessarily, but the constant sound of water would make it hard to pick up other sounds, if she wasn’t  _actively_  searching for them.

Still. Not a big deal.

Someone roughly yanked the hood off her head. She was bent forward, so she hoped no one would see as she scrunched her nose, in an attempt to keep her glasses in place. Then again, if anyone noticed, or commented, she could pretend to be coming around. The place certainly  _smelled_  like it was somewhere wet—the damp, dank scent of mildew permeated her sinuses. Her reaction was, in a way, almost genuine.

“Should we wake her up?”

“Nah, let the boss handle that.”

Kara listened as the sound of their footsteps over wet concrete gradually faded. She remained bent forward, 'unconscious’, and wondered how long she’d have to hold her position. Her muscles wouldn’t fatigue and strain, the way a human’s might—but it  _would_ potentially seem strange to her captors, if this went on for too long. She’d have to…maybe slump in the other direction, or…?

Fortunately, she didn’t have to internally deliberate on that topic any further, as a new pair of footsteps drew closer. And closer still, until the new stranger was standing directly in front of her.

Another set of footsteps followed, but whoever  _that_  was hung back a bit. Something snapped…like a clasp on a…case?

“Alright, give that to me. We’re going to wake her up.”

_Or like a clasp on a holster,_  Kara thought, and started to fidget. She didn’t want to have to explain why the gun shattered when they tried to pistol whip her.

“ _Uh…wha…huh?”_  she blinked and shook her head. There was that snap sound again—they’d holstered the gun. “Wha…where…?” She looked around and sat up. Slowly, of course. “Oh.  _Oh God—”_

“Now now, Miss Danvers, there’s no need to panic.” Kara stared at the woman she had to assume was 'the boss.’ Tall, tan, and…was that…was that an eye patch? “You’re safe. For now.”

No. Upon closer inspection—Kara threw in some exaggerated wincing and squinting—it looked more like a kind of…metal plate, fitted close to the woman’s skin.

“Where am I?” Kara asked. That was…that was a good first question, for this kind of situation, right?

“Still in America,” the woman answered. “I’m afraid I can’t be any more specific.”

“How…how do I know…you aren’t lying?” Kara countered, adding a slight tremor to her words.

“You don’t,” the woman said with a shrug. “But I will say this: I’m not really interested in  _you,_  Miss Danvers. So I don’t see the point in lying. Much less effort to simply be a bit…vague.”

“They just arrived with the package, Miss Bordeaux,” the woman’s associate spoke up. Kara looked over at him for the first time, and was shocked to see just  _who_  it was.

“Floyd Lawton?” Kara exclaimed, with genuine surprise.

“Ah. I see you’re…familiar, with my friend, here.” The woman—or, Bordeaux, as Floyd had called her—didn’t seem too concerned. But _Floyd_  certainly didn’t look happy. He scowled at Kara.

“It’s Deadshot,” he snarled.

Kara was going to press for more information, starting with how Floyd— _Deadshot—_ escaped from prison, seemingly unnoticed,  but at that point, a trio of…guards, maybe? arrived with a large metal case.

“I’m going to apologize in advance, Kara. May I call you Kara?”

_No._ “I don't—”

“You weren’t exactly our first choice of hostage. In fact, you weren’t even on the  _list,”_  Bordeaux explained as she nodded to the guards. One of them lifted the metal case, while the other moved to open it. Kara eyed it with her x-ray vision, and was dismayed to discover that it was lined with lead. That was  _never_  a good sign. “Lena Luthor. James Olsen. Your sister.  _They_  were on the list. You? You were. A last minute suggestion. Provided by a mutual acquaintance, actually. Snapper Carr.”

Kara, who, up until this very point, had been making sure to appear out of sorts, suddenly found herself sitting bolt upright, her heart hammering in her chest.

“ _What?”_

Bordeaux ignored her question. “You’ve seen the headlines lately, right? Of course you have; you’re a reporter. ‘ _Mysterious_  ’ _Leviathan’ Strikes Again’.”_

Kara was still stuck on Snapper.  _Snapper?_  What…had they kidnapped Snapper too? Or…or… _oh Rao._  Was Snapper… _working for them?_

Whoever this ’ _them’_  was?

“I…I’ve…yes,” Kara said, though in all honesty, it wasn’t exactly something on her radar. Neither hers,  _nor_  Supergirl’s. All the reports seemed to indicate that 'Leviathan’ was just…a criminal organization. Like Intergang, minus the stolen alien tech.

Leviathan was on her to-do list, sure.

…But it was.  _Low_  on her to-do list.

“I want Leviathan,” Bordeaux said as a guard pulled the lid from the case. Kara nearly groaned out loud as a green glow shined from within. “And Leviathan wants Supergirl. You see where I’m going with this, right?”

_Not really._  “So, you…?” Kara could feel her stomach start to churn, and that terrible,  _terrible_  burn. “You…you want…”

“Snapper said you know the Girl of Steel. That you have some way of contacting her, to get interviews.” The guard withdrew what looked like a fairly standard flak jacket. But situated in the center was a large chunk of—what else!—kryptonite. “But even if you  _didn’t_ , I’m willing to be she’d bet the first person your network of associates would call in the event of your capture.”

“She…she won’t come. She’ll…know it’s a trap,” Kara argued feebly. She no longer had to  _pretend_  to be weak and worried. She was now  _both_.

“…How unfortunate for you,” Bordeaux shrugged as she nodded to the guards. They cut the zip ties from her wrists, and wrangled her into the flak jacket, before cuffing her again.

Kara was frantically going over her options, even as a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She’d fought through kryptonite poisoning before. She…she could get out of this, but she’d have to wait. Wait until they left her alone.

But…wait. Why… why had she said…’unfortunate?’

The sound of rushing water grew louder.

Kara’s shoulders drooped.  _Oh_.

_That_  was why.

“We’ll make sure to drain the room once Supergirl arrives,” Bordeaux assured her as water began to bubble up from the grates in the floor. “It was nice meeting you, Kara. Oh! And if you could do me a small favor…”

Kara swallowed audibly as Bordeaux leaned close, and smiled.

“Tell Supergirl… _Checkmate._ ”

With that, Bordeaux and her men left the room, slamming the door shut with a resounding THUD. Kara could both hear  _and_  see the metal locks sliding into place.

_Not a problem. Not a problem._

She repeated that to herself, over and over, as the water level continued to rise, and as the kryptonite sat heavy and hot on her chest. She’d broken out of chains. Taken a bullet to the shoulder! All while exposed to kryptonite. This…this was nothing!

She experimentally tugged at her restraints. Standard metal cuffs. Okay. Okay! She…she could  _do this_.

She gritted her teeth as she felt the water pool around her ankles.  _Focus. Focus._

She grunted and pulled her arms apart, as far as her strength would allow.

…Nothing.

She huffed angrily, blowing a stray bit of hair out of her face. The kryptonite continued to make her entire body throb in pain. Rao  _damn it_ , she hated this stuff.

_Again,_  she told herself, mustering strength and  _yanking_  at the cuffs.

Nothing.

_Again!_

Nothing.

_**Again!** _

_*Clink*_

Kara grinned. The water was up to her knees, but she felt the metal start to give. She took a deep breath.  _One more time._

She pulled against the cuffs. The metal piece holding them together snapped. She nearly laughed in relief. She was free!

…Kind of.

She fumbled with the straps on the vest, her movements clumsy and slow, but she eventually managed to tug it off.

She looked around, trying to find a place to throw it. Or…maybe put it back in the lead lined case? Yeah, that would probably be best place for it…

She looked around the small room, which was still  _rapidly_  filling with water. It was now above her waist. The guards…they  _had_  left the case, right?

She took a deep breath and plunged under the cold water, and forced her eyes open. The water was murky, and the room wasn’t exactly well lit…but a quick, cursory glance revealed that…the case was nowhere to be found.

Kara surfaced, and sputtered.

“ _Great,”_ she hissed. “Just. Perfect.”

She threw the vest as far away from her as she could manage. It wasn’t a large room; it did not go far. She could still feel the rock’s effects.

_Ignore it. Push it down._ _ **Fight through it.**_ She told herself. She needed to find a way out of this room. The door, obviously, seemed like the obvious choice.

But she could hear guards. She squinted at the door. Maybe, if she could time it right, when the hallway was clear…

Her x-ray vision flickered. She saw…maybe two or three guards before that particular power gave out completely.

Okay, so. That option was probably a  _no._  She didn’t feel like explaining how Kara Danvers managed to escape from handcuffs  _and_  knock down a solid metal door.

She shook her head. If only there was a convenient window to jump out of.

…Or. Maybe.  _Out_  wasn’t the operative word, but rather,  _up_.

She eyed the ceiling. That…would be messy. But these guys were counting on Supergirl to show up, right? So…a little hole in the ceiling would be easy to explain away. Expected, even.

It would take a lot of her reserves of strength, though. It would kinda be…a 'one shot’ situation.

She balled her fists, and made up her mind.

_Here we go._

She jumped, rather than flew, hoping to retain just enough strength to remain  _mostly_  invulnerable as she tore through the concrete above.

She braced for the hit, but whatever she’d been expecting—Rebar, metal pipes, electrical wires—it was  _not_  what slammed into her at full, icy force, sending her tumbling back down in a watery spiral.

As she floundered and winced and struggled to surface, she realized that the 'rushing water’ sound had  _not_  been coming from pipes.

The facility itself… _was completely submerged._

* * *

**ELSEWHERE, EARLIER**

Alex wasn’t worried.

Alex wasn’t worried, because these past several months had taught her something: she could trust that her loved ones could take care of  _themselves_. She didn’t have to…have to _constantly_  concern herself with their safety.

So she wasn’t worried.

…Definitely, totally not worried.

“You’re worried,” Kelly said, in an accusing tone.

“…Only a little,” Alex countered, and took a sip of wine. J'onn chuckled.

“That’s progress,” he said, admiring his newly reorganized bookshelves. “I’m sure Kara’s fine, Alex.”

“I know,” Alex said, and when Kelly raised an incredulous eyebrow, she insisted, “I do! I know she’s probably fine! Logically.  _Emotionally,_ I’m still. Not quite. …There yet. But I will. Get there. Promise.” Both J'onn and Kelly shared a knowing look, but didn’t question Alex’s assurance. “…I shouldn’t check her comm, right? No. Of course not. Because she’s fine.”

“Check her comm, Alex. If only so you see how  _ridiculous_  you’re being,” J'onn said as he sat down at his desk. Alex rolled her eyes, and grabbed her phone.

She was in the process of pulling up her secured DEO connection when the screen lit up with an incoming call.

LENA LUTHOR

Alex frowned. Lena?

She hit the green 'answer’ button and greeted her friend. “Hi…Lena? What—”

“Someone’s using kryptonite,” came the flat, quick reply. Alex blinked, caught entirely off guard.

“What are you—kryptonite? What—”

“Given the nature of…some of my research…I thought it best to install something similar to the DEO’s K-radiation detection system—a far more advanced,  _precise_  detection system, obviously. And that system picked up trace amounts of K-radiation, within a hundred miles of the coast. So I thought…I should let you know.”

“Oh, that’s…okay. Thanks, I…” it took Alex a moment to process the information, especially considering she hadn’t really be  _expecting_  a call like this. But she found herself  _less_  interested in the revelation of k-radiation usage…and far more concerned with Lena’s…almost apathetic? tone. “I’ll…I’ll have the DEO look into it. But, Lena…are you…alright? You sound…weird…”

“I’m fine,” Lena said sharply, “…I have to go.”

The call ended before Alex could say goodbye.

“…That…was  _definitely_  weird,” Alex muttered. J'onn leaned forward.

“What are you going to have the DEO look into, Alex?” he asked. Alex shook her head.

“K-radiation. Somewhere off the coast. I…oh, great, I didn’t think to ask—” Alex didn’t finish her thought; a text message with coordinates popped up on her phone. “…Never mind.”

“K-radiation? Should you warn Kara?” Both Kelly and J'onn were standing.

“…Yeah. Yes.  _Yes,”_  Alex told herself she could deal with Lena’s weird behavior later, and focused instead on the current problem. “Here, I’ll pull up her comm, and—”

The secured DEO connection was up and running, displaying a list of active communication devices.

Kara’s wasn’t on it.

“…Oh, you’ve  _got_  to be kidding me,” Alex grumbled. J'onn, who was by now looking over her shoulder at her phone screen, and shook his head.

“Well. I guess you were right to worry.”

* * *

**SOMEWHERE UNDER WATER, NOW**

So. That had gone…badly.

Water was now coming up from below, and spilling in from above.

And there was kryptonite floating around…somewhere. It was too dark to see, and Kara was too busy treading water to look for it. Treading water, and trying to decide the best course of action.

She could just…risk her secret identity, and break down the door…but that wouldn’t change the fact that the facility would continue to flood, due to the, ah… _leak_  that she’d caused, AND she’d have to deal with guards. Many, many guards.

The other option was…attempt to swim up and out. Deceptively simple. No guards, no risk of exposing her secret identity…

But it would be  _swimming_. Which meant holding her breath, and working against the crushing force of the incoming water AND the increased pressure that came with being this far below sea level.

She was already at half strength. And while she  _might_  have retained some of her invulnerability…Kryptonians still had to  _breathe,_  for all of their other impressive, super-human abilities.

So. Door, or swim?

Precious seconds were ticking by. She was already  _basically_  out of time, with just inches of space left above water.

_Well, the more distance I put between me and the kryptonite, the greater chance I have of…not dying…_ Kara reasoned, taking one last gulp of air before she was  _really_  out of time.

The cold water closed in, and now she could see, at least a bit more clearly, the menacing glow of the kryptonite below.

Which cinched it.

She pushed up against the crushing pressure, kicking as hard as her remaining strength would allow.

_This is fine, this is fine…just a quick swim,_  she told herself, even as she felt the acute crush against her rib cage. And that intense  _press_ on her lungs drew her entire focus—she couldn’t think about how far underwater she was, or  _where_  in the world the facility was located. 'Still in America,’ if Bordeaux was to be believed. So. Not international waters.

_Doesn’t matter…if you can’t make it…to the surface…_ Kara thought desperately. Her muscles ached, and her body was telling her,  _hey…oxygen would be great._

Could Kryptonians get the bends? No, no—Clark kept a spare Fortress in the Bermuda Triangle…but then. He probably never traveled there during a bout of kryptonite poisoning.

Her vision was starting to go grey at the edges. She kept kicking, kept pushing against water. Her body’s polite request for oxygen had become an insistent  demand.  _Oxygen. NOW_.

She paddled, and kicked. The water seemed endless. The grey at the edge of her vision was now pulsing black spots, and there was a troubling pounding behind her eyes.

She didn’t know what was more distressing; the threat of imminent, inevitable death, or the fact that Alex had been  _right_  about how this plan was going to go—which was to say,  _south._

She was barely kicking now, and her arms felt heavy—she wasn’t moving  _forward_  so much as floating. She struggled, willing her body to keep going, just a  _bit farther_ …

One final kick. One desperate flail upwards.

Her hand broke the surface.

Adrenaline gave her a spurt of energy to surge upwards. She broke the surface and at last,  _at last_ , took a deep, grateful breath of air. And  _Rao_ , it felt good.

But.

She didn’t have enough strength to keep treading water. She felt herself slipping back under. She clamped her mouth shut, but not before swallowing enough water to make her throat seize.

_No, no! Don’t…don’t open your mouth!_  She struggled not to gag, and to get back up to the surface. She was so close!

In something of a panic, she reached out, almost like…if she could just get her  _hand_  above water, she could…she could grab onto something…!

Which was crazy. 

But, to her complete and utter shock, that was exactly what happened.

* * *

“Oh my God, Kara.”

“ _Hrk—cough—nnnrg. I know.”_

“Oh my  _God,_  Kara!”

“I  _know,_ ” Kara repeated, lying flat on her back on land. Glorious  _land. “_ Li— _cough,cough—_ sten. Listen. It’s not—not like I  could’ve  _known_ they ha— _cough_. Krypto— _cough—_ nite  _cough_.” She was still in the process of trying to expel salt water from her lungs. “They didn’t–they didn’t even know–that kryptonite would affect me! It was a trap for Supergirl!  _Cough.”_

“This…this is not helping. With the  _anxiety,_ ” Alex tilted her head back and sighed. Loudly. “It’s doing the opposite, Kara. The exact opposite.”

“I can’t sense anyone down there,” J'onn interrupted, walking up the beach. He was still in his Martian form, having rescued the floundering Kryptonian about a mile or two out from the shore. “My guess is that they evacuated the facility after you punched a hole in it.”

“So, what. Supergirl was supposed to use the front door?” Kara joked weakly. Alex shot her an unimpressed look. “Alex, come on. This…this was a fluke.”

“A pretty  _dangerous_  fluke,” Alex argued.

“Admittedly, yeah,” Kara sat up with an audible groan. “But. I…did  _learn_  something. I think,” she said. “Something about that Leviathan group.”

Alex and J'onn looked at her in surprise. “You got information on Leviathan?”

“Not much,” Kara shrugged. “But. I know they’re making some pretty powerful enemies…and they’re definitely not fans of Supergirl. So I think…this just took top priority, on my to-do list.” She punctuated her point by standing—or, trying to. She needed Alex’s assistance.

“You owe me ten bucks,” Alex said, slipping an arm around Kara’s shoulders.

“Uh, no I don’t,” Kara said.

“Uh,  _yeah_  you do. I said it’d go south. It went south.”

“You said they’d see through my  _acting_.”

“Same thing.”

“No! J'onn, tell her it’s not the same thing.”

“I’m not getting involved,” J'onn said, though he did move to Kara’s other side as they continued up the beach, helping her walk on the uneven terrain.

“My acting was  _great.”_

“You had  _kryptonite poisoning.”_

“It’s called  _method acting.”_

“Are you two…going to bicker the  _entire_  way back?” J'onn asked. Alex and Kara glanced at each other, and, in near perfect unison, answered.

“Yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> \- Plot BLATANTLY stolen from the recent 'Leviathan Rising' Superman special. Go read it. It's good.  
> \- Leviathan and Checkmate are both secret organizations within the DC comics universe. Currently, there's a new Leviathan running around in the Super books, potentially unrelated to Talia al Ghul’s Leviathan.  
> \- Clark’s new Fortress in the comics is located in the Bermuda Triangle. And! In the New 52, Kara had an underwater Fortress of sorts.  
> \- Snapper Carr and Deadshot were, in fact, both members of Checkmate.  
> \- I was originally going to use Valentina Vostok as 'the boss’ but apparently she’s already appeared on Legends of Tomorrow. So we get Sasha Bordeaux instead. (Amanda Waller is technically the 'Queen’ of Checkmate, but again. Didn’t want to use a character that had appeared elsewhere in the Arrowverse.)  
> \- I am aware of the similarities to some stuff that happens in the season 2 episode “Alex” but this fic was more inspired by the kryptonite drowning scene from Superman (the movie).  
> \- This fic operates under the assumption that Kelly knows Kara’s secret.  
> \- All grammar/spelling mistakes are mine.


End file.
